Vladimir is an ancient Russian city located on the high left bank of the Klyazma River. In former times, the city was called Vladimir-on-Klyazma, it was also called Vladimir-Zalessky, since in relation to Kyiv it was located behind dense forests.
The name of two words was explained by the fact that in the South-West of Rus' on the Luga River at that time there was still a city of Vladimir-Volynsky, now the territory of the Volyn region in Ukraine.
Unlike Vladimir-on-Klyazma, the name of the city Vladimir-Volynsky was officially established.
Vladimir-on-Klyazma became famous for the fact that in the 12th-13th centuries it was the capital of northeastern Rus'. The city is located on a triangular cape, in the place where the Lybid River flows into the Klyazma.
The history of the formation of Vladimir-on-Klyazma
The first sites in this area appeared around 30-25 thousand years BC. uh, later the Volga-Finnish tribes and the Finno-Ugric tribe Merya settled here. The Slavs settled in this region in the 9th-10th centuries.
In the second half of the 11th century, the Rostov-Suzdal lands passed to the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Vsevolod, and then to Vsevolod’s eldest son, Vladimir Monomakh.
- In 1108, Vladimir Monomakh, on the site of one of the settlements, located on a steep hill on the banks of the Klyazma, founded the city of Vladimir, which became the capital of North-Eastern Rus' and was important in the development of the history and culture of Russia. This is the traditional version of the founding of the city
- In the 1990s, Vladimir local historians, based on the study of several ancient chronicles, came to the conclusion that the city was founded earlier - in 990 by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, under whom the baptism of Rus' took place and who was called the Red Sun.
It was thanks to the efforts of Vladimir Monomakh that the city was fortified and became a stronghold for the defense of the Rostov-Suzdal Principality.
The first fortress was built on a steep hill surrounded by the Klyazma and Lybid rivers and deep ravines. Where there were no natural barriers, deep ditches were dug. The fortifications stretched for two and a half kilometers; these were earthen ramparts, wooden walls and towers. Under Monomakh, the first stone church in the name of the Savior was built.
Later, under Yuri Dolgoruky, the youngest son of Vladimir Monomakh, a stone church was built in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, the heavenly patron of Prince Yuri Vladimirovich. Both of these churches have not survived.
Vladimir-on-Klyazma - the capital of the principality
In 1157, after the death of Yuri Dolgorukov, his son Andrei Bogolyubsky became the Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal and moved the capital of North-Eastern Rus' to Vladimir.
Under Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, the white-stone Assumption Cathedral was erected in 1158-1160.
Vladimir was being built up, and the so-called New City appeared in its western part. To protect it, Prince Andrei erected additional defensive structures. The new city was fenced with fortifications in the form of ramparts about 9 meters high, on which wooden walls and four gate towers were built. The wooden towers were called “Volzhsky”, “Irininy” and “Copper”.
For the main entrance to the ancient city from the west, from Moscow, the ceremonial white stone Golden Gate with the gate church of the Deposition of the Robes of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected. To enter Vladimir from the east, at the bridge over the Lybid River, on the road to Nizhny Novgorod, Suzdal and the princely castle in Bogolyubovo, the Silver Gate was installed. The path to the craft settlements led through the Copper Gate. Yes, only the Golden Gate has survived to this day.
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate was distinguished by its height, slender proportions and rich decoration. The huge oak gate leaves were covered with gilded bronze sheets, thanks to which the gate got its name. The wooden walls of the New City fortress adjoined the gate.
According to legend, Prince Andrei, who sincerely loved the city, wanted to please the townspeople and open the Golden Gate on the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The builders did not wait for the building to shrink and immediately after the completion of the masonry they hung the gate. As a result, the doors fell and crushed 12 citizens.
Then the prince turned to the Queen of Heaven with a prayer, asking her to save the victims: “If You do not save these people, I, a sinner, will be guilty of their death.” Andrei's prayer was heard and a miracle happened: when the gates were raised, it turned out that all the people crushed by them remained alive and unharmed.
After the murder of Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1174, the grand-ducal table was taken by his younger brother Vsevolod the Big Nest, who was also called Vsevolod III.
Vladimir-on-Klyazma atVsevolod Big Nest
Vsevolod the Big Nest, who received the name Dmitry of Thessalonica at baptism, was one of the most powerful Russian princes. It was he who became the first to be awarded the title “great,” which was later assigned to the Vladimir princes. During the reign of Vsevolod the Big Nest, the city reached its greatest prosperity.
- In 1194-1196, white-stone fortifications of the Vladimir Detinets were erected, which had gates reminiscent of the Golden Gate
- The Nativity Monastery with a white stone church was also built, where the outstanding commander Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky was buried in 1263. Later his holy relics were transferred to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg
- In the name of the prince's heavenly patron, the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the white-stone Demetrius Cathedral was built. Small in size, decorated with beautiful stone carvings, the temple is distinguished by its slenderness and grandeur.
After the death of Vsevolod III in 1212, the Vladimir principality was no longer united; it was divided into inheritances of the prince’s sons, and therefore, discord began among the representatives of the Vladimir dynasty.
But even during this difficult time, new churches were built in the city. The capital of North-Eastern Rus' was a beautiful city consisting of three parts, each of which was separated from the other by fortress walls.
In its central part, in the Middle Town, there was a stone fort, and behind its wall stood stone temples. Outside Dytinets, the Church of the Exaltation was built, and in the New Town - the Assumption Princess Monastery for women. The length of the walls and ramparts of the city was about 7 kilometers.
Capture of Vladimir-on-Klyazma by the Mongol-Tatars
In the winter of 1237-1238, the Mongol-Tatars began attacking Rus'. Their victims were Ryazan and Moscow, Kolomna and other cities. In February 1238, their hordes approached Vladimir. At this time, Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich was not in the city; he went north, to the banks of the Sit River, to gather an army.
The defense of the city was led by his sons - Vsevolod and Mstislav, who decided to fight to the end and it was better to die in front of the Golden Gate for the Holy Mother of God than to surrender to the enemy. The city put up fierce resistance to the Mongols; not only Russian chroniclers, but also eastern authors wrote about this.
The enemies were unable to take the fortress by storm, and then, using battering guns, they broke through the fortress wall in the Spas area and entered the city. The captured defenders of Vladimir were brutally destroyed, and there was no exception for princes and nobility.
An important historical event was the move of Metropolitan Peter from Vladimir to Moscow in 1325. At the same time, Dmitry Donskoy achieved recognition of hereditary rights to Vladimir by all neighboring princes and the Horde, which meant the merger of the Moscow and Vladimir principalities.
Vladimir is gradually losing its importance. In the XIV-XV centuries, the most revered icons were taken from its cathedrals to Moscow - the image of the Mother of God of Vladimir and the image of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki.
Since the overthrow of the Mongol-Tatar yoke at the end of the 15th century, Vladimir has ceased to stand out from a number of other cities in Central Russia. And the memory of the great principality is often associated with the unpleasant fact of the dependence of the Russian princes on the Golden Horde khans, who issued permission to reign.
Vladimir-on-Klyazma is the capital of Rus' in the 12th-13th centuries, a city famous for its historical and architectural monuments, many of which were built, suffered from fires and robberies, and then were rebuilt again, reminding us of what Vladimir was like 800 years ago back.
Vladimir(other names Vladimir-on-Klyazma, Vladimir-Zalessky), a city in Russia, the administrative center of the Vladimir region, the cathedral city of the Vladimir diocese. The ancient capital of North-Eastern Rus'. Located primarily on the left bank of the Klyazma River, 176 km east of Moscow. Population 345.6 thousand (2010).The date of the initial settlement of people on the site of the city of Vladimir has not been established. It is known that the Slavs appeared here at the beginning of the century. Before their arrival, the indigenous population were Finno-Ugric tribes. Based on archaeological finds, it can be argued that on the site of the current city, from ancient times there was a settlement of the aborigines of the Suzdal land - the Meryans, and their distant ancestors lived here long before the birth of Christ.
Capital of Rus'
Vladimir in the era of the Russian Empire
Inventories of the city of Vladimir from the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century that have survived to this day indicate that the city was then very poor and sparsely populated. So in 1626, there were only 340 people fit for military service in Vladimir, of which 128 were townspeople, 62 were peasants, 50 were peasants; 10 years later, in 1635, the population increased slightly: there were already 184 townspeople, 100 courtyard people. Judging by the inventory, the city retained its ancient structure and was still divided into three parts: the Kremlin or non-black city, the earthen city, and the dilapidated city.
Monasteries
Temples
- Abraham of Bulgaria, in the village. Energetik
- Alexander Nevsky, house church at the men's gymnasium
- Alexander Nevsky, in the Yuryevets microdistrict, temple-chapel
- Andrei Stratelat, in the Orgtrud microdistrict
- Afanasy Kovrovsky, house at the Orthodox gymnasium
- Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Church, at the women's diocesan school
- Vladimir Equal to the Apostles
- Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, house church at the bishop's residence
- Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, chapel at the regional hospital (under construction)
- Resurrection of Christ, on Sudogodskoye Highway (under construction)
- Resurrection of Christ
- All Saints, in the Yuryevets microdistrict (under construction)
- All Saints
- "Joy of All Who Sorrow" icon of the Mother of God, prison church
- Gabriel the Archangel (under construction)
- Demetrius of Thessalonica, cathedral
- Elisaveta Feodorovna, house church at the Vladimir City Clinical Emergency Hospital